Choosing headers can be a daunting task but here is a little information that might help.

Which Manufacturer Should I Go With?

The good news here is that this is hard to get wrong. Ask around on the forums and you will hear some of the same brand names over and over again. We prefer the major name brand headers like Stainless Works, ARH, Kooks, and Stainless Power. You will never have to worry about quality with any of them and from a performance stand point all of them are pretty close, no one has a secret that makes one brand produce substantially better results than any of the others. If you are looking at other brands here are a few thinks to consider.

Pay attention to what they are made of. Stainless steel (particularly 304) is what you will want to look for. 304 stainless steel will not rust or discolor from exposure to the atmosphere like the cheaper 400 series stainless steel. Unlike aluminized steel, it will not rust from the inside out due to the corrosive fluids produced during combustion. 304 can discolor slightly from getting extremely hot or if you spill engine oil on them but another attribute is that it isnít permanent.

Pay attention to how they are made. CNC mandrel bending is the best manufacturing method for producing exhaust systems and headers that flow and fit well. When this process is used in conjunction with the 304 stainless steel it allows for the use of a thinner wall tubing that will weigh less than other headers. Those weight savings will be offset, however, if you opt for the thermal coating. With stainless steel the coating isnít needed for corrosion resistance purposes (ceramic coating is often pushed because the manufacture is using inferior metal so keep an eye out for that) but it can help reduce under hood temps and looks good.

What Primary Diameter Should I Go With?

This is the area that seems to cause the most confusion but it is fairly straight forward. Header manufacturers usually offer two or three options when is comes to primary diameters for a specific vehicle. For example, for the new 5th generation Camaro SS most manufacturers are offering 1 3/4 inch, 1 7/8 inch, and 2 inch primaries. Here are the some typical numbers on an otherwise stock SS:

Stock: 370 RWHP 375 RWTQ

1 3/4 headers with high flow cats: 400 RWHP 405 RWTQ

1 7/8 headers with high flow cats: 410 RWHP 410 RWTQ

2 headers with high flow cats: 415 RWHP 410 RWTQ

As you can see, simply switching from the restrictive stock manifolds to 1 3/4 long tube headers is worth approximately 30 RWHP and 30 RWTQ on a bone stock Camaro SS. The larger the primary diameter gets the more air the headers will flow and the further up the RPM range the power band is moved. The impact of the larger primary diameters is greater the more powerful the engine is, especially when you introduce forced induction. This means that generally the more power you make or the more race oriented your application is the bigger primary diameter you need, the closer to stock or the more street oriented the smaller primary diameter you need.

In the specific example of the 2010+ Camaro SS, we have found that the 1 7/8 long tube headers are the best all around header for the typical bolt on modified car that is driven regularly and occasionally taken to the track. They offer a tremendous improvement over stock with room to grow as owners modify their car further. The 2 inch headers offer very similar numbers to the 1 7/8 headers up to 5000 RPM where the 2 inch headers pull ahead. They are ideal for those running forced induction or for race applications.

If you have any other questions feel free to shoot me a PM or give us a call. That is what we are here for.

If your looking for inexpensive headers go with the TSP's 1 7/8 or 2" because THEY PAY THE BILLS HERE. Just my .2.

Thats a lot of input... $0.20.

All joking aside, the real difference between short and long tubes is performance. Short tubes are going to sound better than stock manifold but not give you the performance of long tubes. Diameter sizing is something else to consider, sometimes diameter sizing can restrict performance in stock applications, but not necessarily for newer camaros. I'm not as familiar with them. For instance i've seen some cars with 2" headers put out less power than with their previous 1-3/4" or 1-7/8", almost everyone one of these scenarios is in a mostly stock car. The extra flow can create disturbances not beneficial to an application where its not needed. As you can see from Apex Chase 2" headers almost give you no performance gain in a stock application. Start adding on some serious mods and they will being to be more and more beneficial. And yes for the most part performance is not going to be as big of an issue from brand to brand its really the quality and how long they will last. Apex Chase explains it well.

I recently just got Stainless Works 1-7/8" headers, Magnaflow 3" Comp Series exhaust, and an CAI put on my car and i jumped from 381/377 to 411/406. I love my SW heads.

Umm the dyno comparison I saw of the 3 sizes showed no difference in power in the lower part of the rev range but showed increased power in the upper part of the rev range. Someone correct me if I am wrong but it looked like even on a stock car the 2inch showed no loss in power at ANY RPM vs a 1 3/4inch but a increase in power at higher RPM's. Bottom line is I think everyone should jump right into a 1 7/8 or 2inch header regardless of mods because from the dyno comparison that I have seen there are no tradeoffs going to the bigger primaries.

We use KOOKS headers on 90% of our shop installs as their fit and finish is second to none. They are built to last with Tig Welded 304 Stainless steel, 1-Piece Mandrel-Bent Primary Tubes, Merge Collector Spike for better scavenging, Welded o2 Bungs with o2 Extenders included and Ball Flange Collector for great leak free performance. Not to mention they are made in the USA! :flag2:

Feel free to call, PM or email me anytime with questions or pricing. Have a great weekend!

Umm the dyno comparison I saw of the 3 sizes showed no difference in power in the lower part of the rev range but showed increased power in the upper part of the rev range. Someone correct me if I am wrong but it looked like even on a stock car the 2inch showed no loss in power at ANY RPM vs a 1 3/4inch but a increase in power at higher RPM's. Bottom line is I think everyone should jump right into a 1 7/8 or 2inch header regardless of mods because from the dyno comparison that I have seen there are no tradeoffs going to the bigger primaries.

That is true for those numbers. I am not as familiar with the new camaros, or more specifically the LS3/L99/LSA, however in older cars i have seen people complain about this. A friend of mine had an LS6 CTS-V and he has told me of people getting lesser performance from the larger headers. I also believe this happened on a lot of LT1's. Its very minor discrepancies however i was trying to make the point that for most its not a big difference going with 2".